Victoria Ushkanova — Bio
Victoria Ushkanova is an autodidact Dutch photographer and media artist of Chenchen descent currently based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Her main focus is portrait and documentary photography.
In her project ‘Artist’s Body’, she explores the acceptance of the human body in the form of a video performance which later extends to her photographs.
Her photographic oeuvre presents portraits of adolescents where her models are either from modeling agencies or complete strangers.
With a clear talent for direction, Ushkanova always takes many pictures until she reaches the right moment and designates a photograph to be “the one”.
Characterised with sharpness, her portraits are shot on a large format analog and digital camera, allowing for an incredible range of colour reproduction and a sense of depth.
GUP/FRESH EYES
Shortlisted for British Journal of Photography “Portrait of Humanity Vol.5” 2023
www.1854.photography/awards/portrait-of-humanity/winners-vol5/
Der Greif Issue 12
shop.dergreif-online.de/products/der-greif-12
FRESH EYES /GUP Magazine
https://www.fresheyesphoto.com/ushkanova
Photo Vogue
www.vogue.com/photovogue/photographers/145492
Victoria Ushkanova CV
Photography/ Videography and media art
Exhibition / Work Experience
2025 Exhibition “Rivier, Boot, Stad” at Dordrechts Museum
Collaboration with British artist Edward Clydesdale Thomson from Oct. 2024 — Mar. 2025
2024 Participant in the Almere photo festival
kunstlinie.nl/programma/fotofestival-almere/
2024 Won 2nd place in the magazine
www.all-about-photo.com/photo-publications/all-about-photo-magazine/43/WOMEN2024
2023. Shortlisted for British Journal of Photography “Portrait of Humanity Vol.5”
www.1854.photography/2023/02/portrait-of-humanity-vol-5-shortlist-revealed/
2023 Photo documentation of Kleintjekunst
2023 Headshots for NETFLIX
2021 C/O Berlin My work “Debbie” was presented at an exhibition with a great selection of artists
Joseph Beuys, Tacita Dean, Taryn Simon, On Kawara and Claire Strand
co-berlin.org/en/program/exhibitions/send-me-image
2020 Exhibition 'New Faces — Documentary Photography from Flanders and the Netherlands'
Brussels, Curator Sanne Schim van der Loeff
(World Press Photo)
Fonds Pascal Decroos www.fondspascaldecroos.org/nl/nieuwe-gezichten
2020 Photoshoot for Netflix, Portrait of the main actors, new season Undercover 2
2019 My work Debbie was presented in an exhibition “Blame The Algorithm” as part of
Der Greif issue 12, guest-edited by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin in 2019.
Munich Stadtmuseum (Münchner Stadtmuseum)
www.dergreif-online.de/special/farewell-broomberg-chanarin/#content-slider
2019 Portrait of Gijs Blom, “Prince Viridian” in the film The Letter for the King for Netflix
2019 Portraits of Netflix Writers
2019/2020 Group exhibition in Brussels, 12 Sep — 21 Oct. Curator Sanne Schim van der Loeff
(World Press Photo Foundation) and Fonds Pascal Decroos
www.fondspascaldecroos.org/nl/nieuwe-gezichten
English https://www.fondspascaldecroos.org/en/news/exhibition-documentary-photography-flanders-and-netherlands
2019 Selected Fresh Eyes Photo /GUP Magazine, The Book Launched at Photo Basell and
Les Rencontres De La Photographie, d’Arles
2019 Der Greif Issue 12
2019 Selected for the “New Dutch Photographer Talent 2019«/GUP Magazine, Melkweg Gallery
2017 “Marina” Winner 1 place Nomination “Professionals Portrait” Nikon
''At the Heart of the Image -2017''
2015 Unseen Photo Fair Festival Amsterdam / participant Video art “Typology” 13 min / Amsterdam
2013 Videodance “Displacement"/ participant EXTRA SHORT FILM FESTIVAL/ 35 mm Moscow
2013 Videodance “Displacement"/ Performance Art Festival/ Open-Air Stage Theatre Moscow
2013 Collaboration/ Koktebel Art Residence /Krym
2013 Collaboration with artist Kseniya Sorokina/ Video/ 5 Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
2013 Video / River Scene a project by Wiliam Speakman and
Theo Tegelaers (TAAK Amsterdam)/ Nikola-Lenivets 5 Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
2012/09 Video Art/ William Parke, Patricia Parker/ Residence Nikola-lenivets/ Russia
2012/07 Collaborate with Ksenia Sorokina/ Video/ START Project,
WINZAVOD Centre for Contemporary Art Moscow Sept.
2012/07 ARTIST’S BODY/ performance Victoria Ushkanova / MMOMA Moscow/Biennale Young Art/
www.juliafertig.de/? p=421
2012/08 Collaboration with Performers from the school TSEKH-Moscow
2012/05 Laboratory KIRILL SEREBRENNIKOV / PLATFORMA project / Media performance WINZAVOD Centre for Contemporary Art Moscow
2012/03 Collaboration, documentation of project Niwa Yoshinori / Double Vision:
Contemporary Art from Japan/ MMOMA Moscow
2011 Video art ‘Fishway’ collaboration with composer Anna Mikhailova/ Media Table May/ MediaArtLab -Moscow
2011 Cinematographer/ Independent film
2011 Unit Still photographer VGIK
2010 Collaborate with Ksenia Sorokina/ Video/ START project
WINZAVOD Centre for Contemporary Art Moscow
2007 Unit Still photographer Film Renata Litvinova
Photography workshop
2012 WANDERING FORMS/ Alina Belishkina
2012 Potential acute// Alina Belishkina
2011 PHOTOGRAPHY. OBJECTIFICATION OF THE VOID/Alina Belishkina
2011 The Nordic Photography: Experience Self-portrait LINA SCHEYNIUS
2010 International Summer Photo workshop/ WANESSA WINSHIP, UK, Agence VU Storytelling: Portrait Within the Environment
2008 International Summer Photo workshop PAVEL SAMOKHVALOV
2009/2010 Workshop Art Director/ VGIK Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
Art workshops
2017 Louwrien Wijers and Egon Hanfstingl, Learn Tomorrow’s Language. Unique Five
Day Intensive /Cure Park / taak.me
2013 Art Project by Theo Tegelaers/TAAK.ME and William Speakman. A three-day journey on the Ugra River in Russia. www.youtube.com/watch? v=NE5FNccafO0
2013 Koktebel Art Residence
2012/08 Collaboration with Performers from the school TSEKH-Moscow/Video
2012/09 Art Residence Nikola-lenivets/ William Parke/ Patricia Parker /Video
2012 ImPulsTanz 2012/Benoît LACHAMBRE/ Angélique WILLKIE/Linda RABIN /Workshops
2011–2012 MMOMA/ Media Performance Laboratory
2011–2012 MMOMA/School of Contemporary Art “Free Workshops”
2011-2011 WACADEMY/ OLGA Shishko Media Art
2010–2011 Moscow Museum Of Modern Art School /MMOMA of Contemporary Art “Free Workshops”
2000-2004 MGUS Institute for Applied Design, Art and Fashion Photography
1997-2000 MGUS Institute for Applied Design, costume design (ba)
Work experience
2020
— Marinella Senatore Italian artist /Video and photography marinella-senatore.com/
— Sakura pathology equipment
— Portrait of Mayaki Kimba, political science, The Black Archives. For Reed Magazine, Portland, OR
— Photoshoot for Netflix / main actors Undercover 2 Anna Drijver, Frank Lammers, Else Schaap, Sanne Samina Hanssen.
2019
— Editorial photoshoot for Netflix/ portrait of Gijs Blom “The Letter for the King”
— NDSM Portrait of Tim, a new director
— PTSA Architectural Bureau, portrait & interior photoshoot
— Portraits of European writers of Netflix
— Flirt Creativity branding photoshoot
2018
— 11 Rue Simon Crubellier, Matthew Darbyshire/Gemeente Amsterdam
— Cathalijne Smulders | project Parfum Varken at Museum Bommel van Dam
2013 Rijksmuseum celebrates the opening on 13 April 2013 taak.me Photo & Video work
2008 2013 Photographer, Burda Publishing Houseeditorial, covers, fashion story ’’GIRL’’ magazine